Hope in a Rainbow
Written by: Liz Chamberlain; Lizzie Lou Mixed Media
Spring is such a beautiful season, full of growth and colour. However, the rain can be gloomy and unforgiving at times. Hard to deal with, to say the least. Most of the time I would prefer snow to rain, but a good warm rain shower in the spring can be refreshing, especially as the days get warmer. I love when it rains while I am running… however, I dislike the feeling of going out in the rain. It is strange to me why those are so different, but they are. Likewise, I love the sound of the rain when I am falling asleep or if I wake up to it in the night while camping, but rain during the day when camping can make for a difficult day.
My kids love the aftermath of the rain. They love to jump in the puddles and bike through them really fast so that the mud sprays up their backs. My favourite rainy-day activity is to search for rainbows.
I have a plaque that was given to me after a miscarriage, that reads “after a thundershower, the weather takes a pledge and signs it with a rainbow”. It reminds me that we need rainy days to appreciate the warmth and beauty of the sun. We need to experience the rough times in life in order to appreciate the gifts that we receive. We cannot be grateful without experiencing contrast.
My miscarriage was my first real deep-down loss and hardship that I faced as an adult. I was afraid to get connected and excited after that for a long time, in case something bad happened again. Rather than focus on that grief and fear, I read my plaque every day and I focused on waiting for the rainbow. My rainbow came almost exactly a year later in the form of my first son. There was difficulty with his birth not going “as planned”, but I believe that helped me to appreciate the quiet, sweet, simple moments with him more than I would have if things had been easy.
Interestingly, we see this all around us on a daily basis if we are aware. For example, the brightest light is often beside the darkest shadow. Where forest destruction takes place — in the form of fires or fallen trees — after time, we see new life sprouting from the death. And then, there are rainbows. After a rain storm or a thundershower, somewhere, even if only for a moment, there is a rainbow to brighten the sky.
Dorothy dreamed of visiting a place beyond the rainbow in “The Wizard of Oz”. For her, it was a place where dreams come true. Other folklore will have you believe that you can find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. For me, it is that constant reminder that beauty can be created out of the dark times. We need rain for the flowers and trees to grow, and to make a rainbow. It’s a symbol of hope. A reminder to keep hanging in, no matter what life throws at you.
Every time I see a rainbow, even the tiniest piece of one in a cloud, I say, “Thank you,” to the universe. Thank you for the reminder, thank you for the beauty and thank you for the contrast. I am grateful, and will forever love rainbows. They make me happy because they are a sign that the storm has passed, and sunny days are ahead. What is your rainbow?
